


Interview

by glim



Series: royal au [4]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Community: cottoncandy_bingo, Fluff, M/M, Photographs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-21
Updated: 2013-01-21
Packaged: 2017-11-26 07:19:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/648002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glim/pseuds/glim
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>"Next time ... if anyone asks you again, you can just tell them that you are. That you're my favorite." </em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Interview

**Author's Note:**

> Written to fill the 'favorite square on my [Cotton Candy Bingo card](http://glim.dreamwidth.org/1589148.html).
> 
> Thank you to kivrin for a quick beta read. ♥

Though he promised his secretary that he'd spend the morning replying to various correspondence after sleeping for at least eight hours, Arthur instead finds himself hidden away in Merlin's tiny university office. There's a computer, of course, but he can't very well log into any of his official accounts on it. That would definitely give his secretary a coronary, should he find out that the University of London could possibly be privy to any of Clarence House's business. He probably shouldn't attempt to sign into any of his unofficial accounts, either, and will have to settle for texting and reading whatever books he has loaded onto his mobile. 

Not that Arthur's quite awake enough at ten in the morning to think about his calendar of events for the upcoming season or about the multitude of emails that have sprung up since his last few school visits. He's only been back in England for nine hours, and spent approximately six of them sleeping and three calming Merlin down about today's interview. The vague ache of exhaustion hovers behind his eyes and even after a long, hot, soapy shower and clean clothes, Arthur suspects that he appears travel-rumpled. Forget emails and reports and scheduling conflicts; really, he only wants to sit here at Merlin's desk, drinking the hot tea that Merlin brought in for him before he had to leave, and musing on how very Merlin-ish this office is. 

Most of Merlin's books on the plant sciences are crammed onto a bookcase that occupies the length of one wall, organized in some manner that Arthur hasn't deciphered yet. He'd assumed alphabetical by author, but was proven wrong five books into the top shelf. Two plants who look as if they're about to outgrow their greenish-blue pots nestle together on the tiny windowsill, and a collection of teacups, tea, biscuit packets, and sugar sit next to the kettle on the smaller bookshelf. Library books and spare scarves and Doctor Who memorabilia, file folders and print-outs of articles and lists of references to look up fill the rest of the office and all of it reminds Arthur of Merlin.

He has two framed pictures on his desk: one of his mum and uncle at Christmas a few years ago, and one of himself and Arthur at Balmoral, aged six and nine respectively, with one of their engagement photographs stuck into the corner of the frame. Arthur picks up that picture frame and smiles; in both photographs, they're standing side by side, a bit awkwardly, with Arthur's arm around Merlin's waist. Of course, by the time the second photo was taken, Merlin had grown a couple inches taller than Arthur and his own arm fits neatly around Arthur's waist, too. He still has the same broad smile and those ridiculous ears -- god, he never really grew into those and Arthur can't help but be glad of that. He suspects, secretly, they're one of his favorite things about Merlin. 

Arthur holds onto the picture for a few more minutes, so that the clenching tightness in his chest has a chance to mellow out and to warm through him. He probably could've gazed at it longer, full of half-asleep fondness and nostalgia, but the sudden, loud buzz of his mobile startles Arthur into putting the picture down. 

"How was it?"

"It was fine," Merlin replies in the tight, clipped tone that tells Arthur he's still nervous and maybe a little miserable. "The greenhouse tour didn't take as long as I thought, and I think I was conversational enough not to be boring. I still don't understand why you couldn't come and do the talking, though." 

"Because the world wants to see the future Prince Consort, that's why. Besides, I'm boring and jet-lagged today. I'm sure you were much more interesting and charming than I would've been."

"Doubt it. I'm a lecturer in plant science! I'll never get used to this, to all the weird, just this edge of invasive questions. Why didn't you warn me they'd ask about random favorite things of yours or what sort of tea I preferred to drink at work?"

"I hope you invented some answer more interesting than the PG Tips you've got in your office here." 

"You're still there?"

"Merlin, where could I have possibly gone? You're going to have a lot harder time sneaking me out of here than in." Arthur glances at his empty cup of tea and then back at the picture of him and Merlin. "Come back soon, all right? I'll wear some of the dozen scarves you've left in here as a disguise and we'll get home quickly." 

"You will not do that. And we will not get home quickly. But I will be back at my office soon, all right?"

"Right." Arthur hesitates, thinks of the odd endearments he wants to shower on Merlin all of a sudden, and settles for a quiet, "miss you." 

Merlin laughs his low, quiet laugh, replies with a "miss you, too" and Arthur can hear him talking to one of his escorts as he hangs up and Arthur thumbs against the frame of the old photograph. 

When Merlin returns, his hair mussed from the wind and both his nose and ears pink from the chill, Arthur barely gives him a moment to catch his breath before tugging Merlin right into his lap. 

"I suppose you did miss me. Were you bored? Both your guards are hovering outside," Merlin adds when Arthur buries his face in Merlin's neck. 

Arthur nods, then shakes his head, and nuzzles the chill from Merlin's ear until he can feel Merlin tremble, only slightly, against him. Kissing around the shell of his ear draws a sigh from Merlin and he turns in Arthur's embrace to nudge his other ear against Arthur's nose. 

"Next time," Arthur says, smiling, kissing Merlin, not able to stop kissing Merlin now that Merlin's back after three hours away and Arthur's home after more than three weeks away, "if anyone asks you again, you can just tell them that you are. That you're my favorite."


End file.
